Burdens Of The Soul
by HipsterMaybe
Summary: A case hits Danny hard and the team steps in to hold him up. Somewhere in the third season. One shot. Kind of short, but it didn't need to be long. BTW I enjoy reviews so make my day and leave me a comment!


It was over. At the end of the day, she hadn't been strong enough and no amount of medical attention could have saved her. Five-0 rarely failed, but when they did, it always hit them hard. Each time it affected every one of them differently. This time, Steve could see that Danny was taking it the worst. He glanced over at his partner, who was sitting away from everyone else, covered in blood. Danny was staring straight ahead, taking no notice of his surroundings. Steve's brows furrowed in concern and Chin gave him a nod, as if to say _Go ahead. Make sure he's okay. We'll take care of things here._ With that, Steve went to his friend.

"Danny?" said Steve, crouching down in front of Danny so he could see his eyes. Danny didn't seem to notice him. Danny was pale and shaking, causing Steve to wonder if he was in shock. "Danny, can you hear me?" When he received no response again, he placed his hands on Danny's shoulders and gave him a gentle shake. Danny blinked and looked at Steve with dead eyes. "You with me partner?"

"I couldn't save her." His tone was flat, but Steve knew better. He could see how much Danny was hurting. When a child was hurt, things were always personal. It didn't help that the girl bore an uncanny resemblance to Grace. They had been after a serial killer who had taken his latest victims, two little girls from Grace's school. It didn't matter to Danny that he was directly responsible for saving the life of one of the girls. All that mattered to him was that he had arrived a fraction of a second too late to save the other. No matter how much pressure he put on the girl's throat, the blood still welled up between his fingers. She died in his arms. Every officer present knew Danny was a father. They knew how protective he was of children. They knew how much he was still shaken up after Grace's kidnapping. They knew how hard this was going to hit him. They also knew that he was a damn good cop and that if there had been a way to save that girl, he would have done it. They could all plainly see that he did everything he could. Only Danny blamed himself. That was the way he was. When he discovered he was going to be a father those many years ago, he vowed to protect any child in danger. Even though there was nothing he could have done, he still felt he had failed her. It tore at Steve's heart to watch Danny try to resuscitate the girl even when it was plain to all that she was with God now. He and Chin had gently pulled Danny away from the body and he had gone off by himself. Steve winced inwardly, even though he had been expecting Danny to blame himself, he always hated to hear it.

"No Danno. This is not your fault. You hear me? None of this is your fault. We can't save everyone, you know that." Danny didn't answer him. He just stared down at the alarming amount of blood that covered him. He felt as if it had soaked through his skin and would stay there forever. Steve noticed and went to the now unnecessary ambulance and grabbed a bottle of water and a towel. He wet the towel and returned to his crouch before his friend. Wordlessly, Steve began to clean Danny's hands. Danny continued to stare at them. _God, _Steve thought. If that didn't give Danny PTSD, then he didn't know what would. He felt a surge of anger at the man who had caused all of this. Danny had enough unnecessary blame on his conscience that Steve knew was eating him up. _Man could have been a damn SEAL the way he shoves his emotions down,_ Steve thought. Danny was like him. They both carried guilt and loss with them every day, and they both pasted fake smiles on their faces to convince the world they were fine. Steve knew his came from training, but he had no idea where Danny's came from. Danny could talk for a lifetime and loudly express his opinion on everything from food to sport without ever letting anyone see what lay beneath his stubborn walls. Steve watched as the man before him nearly lost all control he had. An idea struck Steve and he pulled out his and searched through his photos. He finally found the one he was looking for. He had taken it last weekend when Grace and Danny were at his house for the weekend. He smiled at the photo of Danny hoisting a beaming Grace onto his shoulders. Both of their smiles were impossibly large and genuine. He could still hear the laughter that had bubbled from them after a water balloon fight on the beach. Steve held the phone in front of Danny's gaze.

"That little girl may be gone, but she died in the arms of a man who was trying to save her. I think she knew that. That little girl may be gone, but this little girl right here isn't. And she still needs her father. She's always going to. I see it every time I look at you two. She loves you. You think Grace wants you to carry all this guilt with you? What happened was nobody's fault but the man who killed her. I need you to understand that. Please." Danny stared at the photo for a long time and Steve watched as warmth returned to his eyes and his face softened. Danny gave a slow nod. He was admitting that he understood. Maybe not acceptance, but that would take time. Steve stood and pulled Danny shakily to his feet. He led him over to the Camaro and they drove off in silence to Danny's apartment. When a case hit one of them hard, the rest of the team always stepped in to hold their stricken member up and pull them from the depths of depression. Somehow they all ended up at Danny's with beers in their hands. That night, they shared every last thing they felt guilty about. That night, they freed each other from the burdens of their souls.


End file.
